Leander Fire Department received the second highest Public Protection Classification from the Insurance Service Office, according to Fire Chief Bill Gardner.
The Insurance Service Office is an advisory organization that issues information about insurance risk, according to the office’s website.
The Leander Fire Department was given a classification of two, and only 1.1 percent of fire departments in the country receive this score or higher, according to Gardner’s presentation at the Leander City Council meeting on Sept. 21. In Texas, 4 percent of fire departments are rated a two or greater, he said.
Higher scores can result in savings on insurance premiums for Leander homeowners and businesses, depending on the insurance company, according to a statement released by the Leander Fire Department on Sept. 21. Gardner said most Leander homeowners could see an annual decrease of about $60 per year in their home insurance rates, while commercial businesses could see an annual decrease of about $400 per year.
The new score will become effective on Jan. 1, according to the statement.
The department’s new Public Protection Classification is up from a three in 2012 and a six in 1999, Gardner said.
“The addition of [city] facilities, water distribution systems and the programs that we do with our planning and our code and enforcement—those paid off,” Gardner said. “With double-digit [population] growth, we were still able to be reclassified as a two.”
The fire department opened its fourth fire station in August and plans to open two more before 2020, according to its Sept. 21 statement. After the city’s fifth fire station is complete, the department will be re-evaluated for a potential new score, according to Gardner’s presentation.